2014 NFL Power Rankings: Week 17

Week 16 of the NFL season is in the books, and it's time to unveil our rankings as we head into the final week of the regular season. Can you believe it? Let us know if you agree or not! - Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL)

Posted December 23, 2014 5:50a ET

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Beast Mode plowing people again and Russell Wilson continuing to make chunk yardage plays with his feet. That’s about all the Seahawks will need from their offense with the way their defense is attacking right now.

Bill Belichick is the king of halftime adjustments and his accomplishments in this area set this team apart. With a strong passing offense and an elite pass defense heading into the postseason, the Patriots will be tough to topple.

The Packers’ offensive line has protected Aaron Rodgers better than they have at any point in his career, and that will need to continue going forward now that Rodgers is a bit banged up. The defense has vastly improved thanks to offseason personnel changes.

Tony Romo is quietly leading the NFL in yards per attempt, total QBR and several other efficiency areas. We’ve seen what happens to this Cowboys team without him, and now it’s time that everyone starts to seriously consider him as the league’s MVP.

Peyton Manning is really struggling to get zip on his pass attempts and you have to wonder if he’s battling through an injury that’s worse than has been reported. The pass defense continues to play at a high level.

With Calvin Johnson fully healthy, we are running out of excuses for the poor play of this Lions offense. New offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi’s unit stresses the short passes, but Matthew Stafford’s skill set might be best fit for a vertically attacking offense.

Led by their pass rush, the defense continues to show signs of improvement heading into the postseason. With one of the most balanced offenses in the NFL to accompany it, the Steelers could be poised for a run.

The Bengals are playing a physical brand of football, led by the emergence of the power running game behind rookie Jeremy Hill. The defense is finally starting to generate a little bit of pressure and the secondary is making big plays across the board.

The Cardinals desperately await the potential return of Drew Stanton, because Ryan Lindley simply won’t cut it in the postseason. When teams have tested the Cardinals defense down the field, they have often found success -- this is the one weakness in Todd Bowles’ otherwise stout defense.

It’s obvious that this group has rallied around their candidly injured leader Philip Rivers. The defense is still missing various pieces, but Rivers has an incredible understanding of Mike McCoy’s offense and the team can still win in a shootout.

Mark Sanchez is not the answer at quarterback, but the blame doesn’t stop with him either. The Eagles’ secondary and pass coverage as a whole has collapsed over the last month and they were unable to keep up with their ridiculous early season defensive touchdown pace.

Joe Flacco picked the worst time to have his worst game of the season in Week 16. The Ravens have been carried by a dominant pass rush, but teams have figured out how to stop the offense by eliminating the run game first.

A dominant defensive line has carried the Bills this season, but it can only take them so far. Kyle Orton and E.J. Manuel are not the answer in Buffalo, and they will go back to the drawing board this offseason.

Poor clock management and questionable coaching are getting the best of Andy Reid again, but you can’t blame him for this collapse. The Chiefs are simply one of the NFL’s worst at stopping the run on defense and the offense has failed to establish any vertical threat.

J.J. Watt may not win the MVP award, but he has made it a legitimate debate and that’s more than we can say for any other non-quarterback in recent memory. Bill O’Brien has had a very successful debut as head coach given the circumstances, and he may get the opportunity to find his quarterback this offseason.

Jonathan Stewart has more rushing yards than any back over the last four games, and it’s great to finally see this coaching staff realize that he deserves to be the featured back. The defense is finally starting to round into form and if all goes right in Week 17, the Panthers could be hosting the Cardinals and whoever is their quarterback in the first round of the postseason.

It’s Odell Beckham Jr.’s world and we’re all just living in it -- the rookie is breaking all kinds of records. Eli Manning has posted a career-high in completion percentage (64.1) and has 29 TDs and 13 INTs on the year. Maybe the Giants don’t have to blow it up entirely this offseason after all.

When they’re not generating consistent pressure, the Rams secondary can be and will be exposed. This offseason, the Rams will have to decide if they want to give Jeff Fisher and Sam Bradford one more shot at righting the ship.

Despite the fact that the Falcons are in the race for the NFC South heading into Week 17, sources claim that Mike Smith’s job is still not safe. Smith has made some terrible coaching decisions this season, but it’s difficult to make the argument that the team hasn’t rallied around him in recent weeks.

Teddy Bridgewater is growing and we’ve even seen glimpses of the touch that he displayed on his passes at Louisville. With the pieces in place on defense and another season under Mike Zimmer’s scheme, the Vikings could be a team to watch in 2015.

Most will try to blame it all on the quarterback situation, but the Browns have been ravaged by key injuries on the offensive line and throughout the defense. With a mid-round draft pick, the Browns will have a lot of holes to fill if Johnny Manziel is the incumbent next year.

Robert Griffin has played much better now that a fire has been lit under him, and his minimal 2015 cap hit makes him a good bet to make the roster next season. It looks like this entire group will get another shot in 2015.

The Jaguars have shown a lot of fight this season, but they will need to string together a nearly perfect offseason to become competitive in 2015. In the end, Blake Bortles’ disastrous pocket presence might be too entrenched to reverse.

The Bears weren’t embarrassed in Week 16, and that’s a step up from how things have been. In all likelihood, Chicago will enlist a new head coach and general manager in 2015, but Jay Cutler’s future with the team seems up in the air.

The 2014 NFL Draft may eventually be considered the initial foundation for a blooming Raiders roster. You can make the argument that both Derek Carr and Khalil Mack are the best two rookies at their respective positions.

The Jets have found themselves on the losing end of too many battles during the Rex Ryan tenure as head coach. With his coaching stint likely coming to an end, the Jets will have a laundry list of issues to address this offseason that include both general manager and quarterback.

You have to wonder why this team continues to roll out a stopgap quarterback like Josh McCown in place of a young quarterback like Mike Glennon. It certainly reads like the Buccaneers are a lock to draft a quarterback in the upcoming draft.

The Titans have myriad issues to address this offseason, but it will likely all center around the decision at quarterback. If they deem that Zach Mettenberger hasn’t shown quite enough, you can expect them to be in the Marcus Mariota sweepstakes.